Secret Mall Apartment: Everything we know about the upcoming documentary

Academy Award-nominated actor Jesse Eisenberg's upcoming documentary Secret Mall Apartment is all set for a March premiere in the United States. The much-anticipated documentary film had its early screenings at the SXSW Film Festival back in early 2024.

The story centers on true events dating back to 2003 when a group of Rhode Island inhabitants crafted a secretive apartment within the confines of a shopping mall named Providence Palace. American filmmaker Jeremy Workman is at the helm of the project and it was confirmed back in 2019 that he will tell the true story of Michael Townsend (the brainchild of this secret project) and his associates.

Secret Mall Apartment has received a swooping 100% score on RT and has also been well-received by viewers all across the globe so far. The official synopsis of the movie, per IMDb, reads:

"In 2003, eight Rhode Islanders created a secret apartment inside a busy mall and lived there for four years, filming everything along the way. Far more than a prank, the secret apartment became a deeply meaningful place for all involved."

When will Secret Mall Apartment be released?

Jesse Eisenberg's latest documentary will hit theatres across the United States on March 21, 2025. It will also be screened at Providence Place - the famous shopping complex which is the heart of the true incidents. Secret Mall Apartment shares premiere date with potential big hits namely Snow White and The Alto Knights.

What do we know about the story of Secret Mall Apartment?

Secret Mall Apartment takes us back to 2003 when a man named Michael Townsend from Rhode Island came up with an illegal plan (more as a joke and for fun) to solve the housing crisis in the locality. He, along with some of his friends and associates (a group of 8), plotted to set up a secret apartment well within the Providence Place shopping complex - something which was thought of as an experiment initially.

Cheap cameras and filming equipment were reportedly used to capture moments from their daily lives. They even used Altoid tins to keep the devices concealed and what initially started as a contest on who can secretly survive in a shopping complex for days (without getting noticed), soon turned out to be a proper mission.

The upcoming documentary will chronicle through the original footage captured by the Rhode Island inhabitants as Jesse Eisenberg teams up with Jeremy Workman for a second time (after the 2018 docufilm The World Before Your Feet). Secret Mall Apartment will also portray how a group of people capitalize on underutilized space and set up a life of their own.

The main footage of the film is devoted to Townsend's low-resolution hand cam that he would carry around with him most of the time while living inside the secret apartment. According to Variety, the floor area of the mysterious apartment was 750 sq. ft. where eight people adjusted to sleep mainly on couches.

The most surprising part is that Townsend and his friends managed to survive inside that secret space for four years straight. The initial few nights reportedly went well till it was 2007(like in the blink of an eye and days passed) and all the inhabitants were eventually caught leading to conviction due to trespassing.